Buck Wild Pale Ale

The Buck Wild Pale Ale Review

Brewed By Alpenglow Beer Company

I got my hands on a 4-pack of this new pale ale and I’ve been excited to try it. It’s the Buck Wild Pale Ale by Alpenglow Beer Company.

I’ve been quite busy lately and when I opened the first one tonight, I was actually not planning on writing a review on it. It’s been a long day. I just wanted a drink with my (very late) dinner. I figured I’d review the second bottle I opened.

But honestly it was so damn good–I got inspired. So here I am after a 12 hour work day, writing this review. :)

This beer is 100% gluten free and comes from San Jose, California. In fact, it claims to be the first 100% gluten free beer from California. This kind of blows my mind…can that be right?! Anyway, I’m happy it exists!

The first thing I noticed about the beer was its fantastic head. Gluten free beers usually carry a pretty light head in my experience. This may be the best one I’ve seen of all the beers I’ve reviewed on this site.

I took my first swig and…WOW. I’m going to be completely honest here–but then I’ll explain what it means.

My first thought as the bear hit my palette was “Deschutes”. And that’s a really good thing. Flashback to my [glutenous] beer-drinking days…Deschutes Brewery was one of my favorite breweries. I would buy their Inversion IPA by the case.

This beer reminded me of my Deschutes-drinking days immediately. I’m guessing it has something to do with their chosen hop profile…(Magnum, Cascade & US Chinook, by the way)…because this beer brought me back. I love it.

It’s delicious. My favorite part is the initial taste as it hits the palette. It has a pleasant follow-through and a great carbonation level.

Here’s the other thing a really love about this beer. They use both millet and buckwheat in the brewing process. (Incidentally, these are the two grains we chose to use in our very own Home Brew this year…which turned out incredible by the way.)

I absolutely LOVE the addition of buckwheat in the flavor profile. It is so earthy and balancing. The body of the beer is excellent as well. It matches the flavors and the hops perfectly.

Overall, my personal preferences aside (as much as possible), I would say that the Buck Wild Pale Ale is a very drinkable beer. It would be great for summer days, and I would happily indulge in more than one. It’s 5.5% ABV is mild enough to be a casual drinker.

My only problem now is “Where do I buy more of this beer?”.

Due to it’s relative newness on the market, I’m not sure how widely it is distributed yet. But if you manage to get your hands on it…BUY IT and give it a try. I would love to know what you think of it!